Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1887-02-08

AN Essay hedu w W. So 1aSS pe'
fore a Missionary Circle Meeting
atcrofton, Ky, on Saturday, Jan.
20, 1887, and Published at the
Request Of the Circle.
The Prophet Malachi brought a
charge against the Jews Of his day,
that they had robbed God. They
asked, "Wherein have we robbed
God?v He pointed them to the laws
of Moses which required them to set
apart one tenth of the proceeds of
their lands and their herds as sacred
TO the Lord, and he reminded them,
that they had used this portion for
their own pleasure, and not for his
service to whom it belonged.
The tenth law in some form must
have been in force before the time Of
Moses, for Abraham and Jacob rec
ogmized its existence, and their own
obligation to be guided by it. II is
very probable that at an early period
in mans history, God had in some
way intimated his will, that men
should devote one seventh of their
time and one tenth of their property
to religious purposes. IL is a dictate
of Natural religion, that God as Gre
ator has a sovereign right to control
men both as TO their time and their
property, aud that men ought as an
expression of gratitude TO God, to
set apart portion of their time and
a portion of their property for the
Lords use. This principle would
put the Sabbath law and the 1.-THE
law on the same footing, and make
them of equal authority, were it moi
for two facts which seem TO give
greater force TO the Sabbath law than
to the 1.-THE law. One is that God has
given us reason for dividing our
time by seven he has given us no
reason for dividing our property by
ten. Still our want of knowledge on
this point does not authorize us to
substitute at our own,pleasure anoth-
er division in the place of ten. An
other fact is of greater Importance in
comparing the Sabbath law and the
1.-THE law. The former has a place in
the Decalogue, the latter has not.
Whatever may be said of other COM
mands of Moses, the Ten Command
nents were intended as permanent
code for the human race.
Let us now compare the Sabbath |
law Zone day out of seven for the |
Lord and the Tithe law, (one,dollar
out of of ten for the Lord) in the light
of the New Testament. The Apostles
of Christ not only continued the prac-
tice of dividing time into portions
of seven days, but they made this
division the basis of their appoint
ments of aims giving and public
worship, and under their direction,
one day in every week was set apart
for Christian worship and recognized
as the Lords Day.
As to the 1.-THE law there is re-
markable silence IN the New Tesla
ment. The Apostles are very clear
and emphatic III urging the duty of
giving to the support of Christian
Ministers and to the necessities of the
poor, They also distinctly instruct
that each one should give as God has
prospered him; but they offer no in
struction as to the proportion ofone's
income which should be set apart for
this purpose. Now why is this ST.
lence? Is 1t an lntimation that
smaller proportion than that adopted !
by the Jews would be satisfactory ? |
/ think not. Why should Christians
give teebler expression of gratitude
than the pious Jews cheerfully gave
Are our temporal blessings smaller
than theirs Was the land of Pales-
ten better country than these Unit
ed States? Did those who lived in
The days of David and Solomon en-
Joy greater domestic and social and
political blessings than have been
given TO us who live in the 10Th CEN
Jury? In spiritual blessings how
much more favored are we who hear |
the gospel in its fullness and richness
than those who could only see the
plan of salvation by the feeble light |
which burned on the altar IN the Tenn
plel
VIII any one say that God has less
need for our property than he had
for that of the Jews, aud that there
fore we may offer smaller proper
ton? One fact alone is enough to
show that, If there is any difference,
there is a greater demand upon us
Than there was upon them. In those
days God was not ready to spread his
revelation among heather nations
hence the Jews were not expected TO
use any part of their property for
his purpose. But with us the case
IS different. The command to Chris
ians is $50 teach all nations" Some
II you must go and preach, and the
est must supply them with food and
'lothing while they preach. Thus
here are calls for large sums Of
money in a direction not marked out
u the old dispensation. Hence there
; no good reason why christians
hould adopt for themselves a lower
tandard of benevolent contributions
han that given to the Jews.
But the question will force itself
lpon US, If the 1.-THE law of the jews
vas intended in any way to guide us
n determining what we ought to
rive, why did not Christ or the Apos-
les put the whole matter beyond {
loubt, by Just few words to this eff
ect, you ought to giveone 10th of your
income to religious purposes. Many
PERSONS would be very glad 10 be re-
ieved of the difficult task of deter
mining just how much they ought 10
i've. Besides, / have no doubt thai s
he existence of such law IN the |
lew Testament would make 1t COM a
aratively easy to keep the Lords n
'easury full. If the agents of our b